Yet another Chirstmas story
by ScottyBgood
Summary: Jade's separated from her friends and family by the collage she's chosen. Alone, with few skills at making new friends, she finds the visit of a ghost from the past may hold the key to her future. Jori.


Disclaimer: I don't own.

:}

Jade hadn't been sleeping too well, what with her having to do everything fore her project. But the aspiring filmmaker felt better that way, or at least that's what she told herself. It was a far better choice to just do the work, claim to be a control freak, then admitting that her rough personality had alienated so many of her classmates, and so soon. She was facing her second Christmas away from home, now attending Stanford University because it had been recommended by mister Alexander. He'd told her 'Getting in is the hardest part, not paying for it. They have more grants and scholarships then most people would believe. If you get in, odds are a talented student like you will have no trouble finding the money to go there.' so she'd applied, gotten in, and arranged her scholarships to cover just about everything. The big surprise, however, had been her father claiming that he'd help her pay whatever was left over if she agreed to a double major, pointing out that film making was a business. Jade was double majoring in film and business from one of the most respected schools on the west coast.

However, that piece of good news, that she was on better terms with her dad, had become overshadowed by the simple fact that she'd been out of communication from her friends for such a long time. That summer, after a year away, a year to forget, to forgive, she'd found everyone of her one time friends had just moved on.

Jade was alone, and she felt it. Being alone, being lonely, made the pale girl even more defensive. But Jade West didn't do defensive, so when she'd gotten back to school she went on the offense, only to discover that at Stanford, you don't just bully your way into a social group. The result was, Jade found herself doing more and more while earning her degree from (surprisingly) one of the most respected film making universities in the U.S. Admittedly, they were far more famous for the documentaries made by the very limited graduate program, but Jade was learning so much about the technical aspects of making a movie, that her only real drawback was she'd driven away most of her help. So Jade worked herself hard, both to keep up with the work load, and because she could use that as an excuse for not having a lot of friends around her.

Jade was lost in thought about what to do with her latest project, what to do to film something, because the blue eyed girl HAD to create, make things, so she'd feel alive. It made her feel anything beyond useless and unloved. 'Stupid Beck, had to break up, just because I'm up here in Stanford, Ca, which it turns out has nothing to do with the wrestling, no mater how much Rex may insist. But, just cause I'm up here, and he's somewhere else, he had to suggest we just date other people. I don't know how to meet people, and apparently, when your over eighteen, tossing some girl in a creek isn't an original way to meet guys, it's assault. So no, I'm still single, after almost a year, and he's off romancing Vega.' She had no proof of the last part, but was so sure that the perky Latina wasted no time now that they weren't close by, cause while they may have been friends, even friendship is stretched thin by distance.

Jade, however, was drawn out of her thoughts, as well as the warm bed she'd been snuggling into, in her rented apartment off campus, by the sound of someone grunting. Her light, it turned out, was off, since she'd been once again trying to fall asleep, but as usual, wasn't quite making it. Jade reached out and turned on her lamp, illuminating her bedroom, to find someone had indeed broken into her room, and was laying on the floor just in front of her window. A window he'd tripped on while trying to sneak through.

"Don't kill me, I'm here to help." Robbie screeched from his place on the floor, even as he attempted to scramble to his feet. But the black bag he was carrying wasn't too secured, and the nerdy boy managed to trip himself, falling flat on his face, again, while struggling with his accessories and trying to not look like a total spaz. He was failing. "No scissors." He grunted out, smiling a nervous smile up at her. "Um, nice pajamas?"

Jade stood up, grasping his arm to yank him up, only to shift her grip as her true target moved into into rage. With a mighty yank, she pulled his underwear until he was standing, popping the band over his head to remind him that some people were dangerous to break in on.

Robbie's voice was unnaturally high as he spoke. "I came to help." He managed to get out, all while Jade was trying to figure out how his underwear was surviving that much strain. "Please, Jade, I'm here to help."

"We're on the third story, so unless your anxious to see what gong down is like, start talking." Jade threatened. She felt and odd sense of joy, falling back to something that worked, even if she should have been freaked out more. But it was Robbie, and he was always a bit of a peeping Tom. 'Wait, how'd he get up here? It's not exactly the easiest climb, and nerdy boy here isn't that athletic...'

"Jade, I'm here to help." Robbie said again, somehow managing to get untangled form his undergarments. "I've been sent to show you what may be, if you don't change your ways, and..."

"What happened to showing me my past first?" Jade asked. "Isn't there supposed to be someone to show me how weak and cuddly I was back when I was a munchkin, or are they admitting my childhood wasn't that much fun?"

"No, this is a little more 'It's a wonderful life' then 'A Christmas Carol', and even that's not a great explanation." Robbie answered. "No, I'm here because you wanted something, and I'm gonna help you find the way."

"Okay..." Jade narrowed her eyes at the boy. "Why haven't I heard of your death, or is this just a spirit doing one heck of a Robbie impersonation?"

"Oh, it's me, and I'm very much alive, and in great pain." Rob said, rubbing his crotch, reminding her of the pain she'd only recently inflicted upon him.. "Jade, your remember that book you misplaced, just before you headed off to collage?"

"The neat one I bought to go with my collection?" She clarified. "I thought you'd taken it. I told you, never mess with that chiz. Even if their called angels, those forces are anything but forgiving."

"I tried a spell, and long story short, this is my community service." He explained as he sat on the edge of her bed. He was recovering unbelievably quickly, even if his moves proved him to still be tender. "I've done this on special occasions, and they told me the Christmas season was a busy one, so their using me now. I have a list, people to help. Tonight alone, I have you, and then another person to help." He was rubbing his rear now, where the pressure of the Wedgie had granted him severe discomfort. "Man, you're not the first person to react badly, but you're definitely the first to be violent." He groaned. "Okay, I've been slapped twice, and punched once, but that was my first wedgie."

"Good." She smiled, enjoying the familiar. "Sooo, given that you're my guide, and I'm waiting for my visions of what life could be like without, what, Beck?" Jade wondered. She was fascinated to know about this process, as well as seeing just how bad her life could get. "Come on now, what do we do now?"

"Not sure." Robbie said as he pulled out his phone. "They gave me an app, so..."

"Wait, they gave you an app?" Jade seemed confused.

"Yeppers." The nerdy boy said. "See, this job, it's not easy. No way I can know everything about the people I'm helping. In fact, no way I can know enough about you, and your a friend, so..."

"Give me that." Jade said as she moved, taking the phone with a swift motion of her hand. "Okay, says here… What now…?" Jade felt denied by what she read. "Give the phone back to the nerd?" She blinked and glared at the boy. "You're fudging phone is telling me to give it back to you. Really? Really?! Are you kidding me? What the fuck is your phone telling me?"

"It has advanced user security." Robbie said as he held his hand out, waiting for his phone back.

"Um, no." Jade pulled back to hide the phone next to her body. "I wanna see it work."

"Not gonna happen." Rob said. "In fact, we won't ever wake up… Um, Jade, look at your bed please."

Jade glances at her bed, and see's her body, slumped down under her covers, restlessly sleeping. "Oh..." She groaned. "This is all just a fucking dream."

"No, we just use dreams as an easy method to get you out of your own way." The nerdy boy said. "Now, as we don't have time for this...' He shifted to a commanding voice, "Phone, return." His acting training was evident in his command, voice clear and sharp. The phone, for it's part, shook before it disappeared from Jade's grasp, appearing in his hand. "Okay, that worked." He chuckled to himself.

"Laugh it up, cause I'll take the hand if I have too." Jade warned.

"Now Jade, we just need to follow procedures. Lots of peoples futures depend on you going through this." Rob cautioned, even as he read the phone. "Okay, was gonna go over possible futures, all dark, but you're way to into that, so lets just skip ahead."

"What do you mean..." Shew smiled, perking up at a thought. "So I'm important, right?"

"Not necessarily." The Jewish boy cautioned. "It's like, in 'It's A Wonderful Life', we find out that George Bailey saved a transport ship full of people during world war two because he saved his brother from drowsing in a frozen lake back when he was twelve, and his brother went and saved the transport. He also saved others because he kept a batch of mislabeled drugs from being delivers, also when he was twelve, so if he'd never been born, a LOT of people would have died. See, you don't have to do anything too big to help a lot of people." His smile was disrupted by a buzzing of his phone. "Oh, yea, their telling me to just go ahead, and get to the point."

"So we're being watched?" Jade asked.

"Always." Rob confirmed. "So..." He pushed a few buttons, and a whole opened in space. "Hop on through..." He gestured.

"Man., the things I do to wake up to a crappy morning." Jade groused. But she cautiously stepped through the hole, finding herself just outside a nice but cheap motel. "Ferris Brothers? Yea, I've heard of them. From my experience, looking for cheap but safe places to spend the night. This place is okay, good even." There was snow on the ground, a sign that things were very different.

"Roommmmmm… Seven." Robbie read. "Come, we have someone to help."

"Wait, so we're just dropping helping me?" Jade asked, feeling way to rejected. The anger was building, threatening far worse then a wedgie. "Um, no reason, but I there a pair of scissors near by?"

"Jade, this is a part of helping you." Rob warned. He glanced at his phone. "And no, you can't just pick up some random weapon and end me. That's like stranding yourself in purgatory. Better to just come along." He led the way into the motel grounds, through the snow covered parking lot, along the many rooms until he came to the one he was looking for. A buss was parked near by, of the touring variety, but lacking the custom paint job so many of those buses had. "Now, lets find us a way in..."

"So we don't just pop in?" Jade asked, even as she picked up a small hair pin like object. Deftly, she picked the lock, opening the door and allowing them entrance. "Funny, you'd think things would be easier in a dream."

"Yea, we're kinda in this off space, so some of the rules apply, others don't." Robbie told her. "Just, ask me before you do anything, okay? And for the record, I was gonna find me a way in, soon enough. It's always that way. I just had to look." He glanced at his phone. "And it says here they'd sent a deranged criminal with me to pick the lock."

"No it doesn't." Jade barked, way louder then she'd intended, even as she once more yanked the phone from the nerdy boy. But when she did, she could only see the screen saying "Will not work for people named West."

"Hay!" Robbie called, grabbing his phone again.

"Hay?!" Another voice called out, letting the two bickering people know they'd been discovered. Eyes turned to find Tori Vega standing next to her bed, random object in hand, ready to defend herself.

"Look out, she has a day pack." Jade warned, not bothering to stifle the chuckle. "Maybe she has a brick in it?"

"Jade?" Tori asked. "Robbie? Wait, what are you doing, here, in my room, at three in the morning..."

"Time difference." Robbie said as if that explained everything. "We're in Wisconsin, so central time.'

"I Was in California, near Palo Alto." Jade told the other girl. "Then the spirit of Christmas annoyance here showed up to whisk me off to the snow, in my jammies, cause lordy knows I wasn't cold enough, all so you can help me save everyone from who knows what."

"That's about right." Robbie agreed. "Cept we're not that cold., cause hello, dream space. It's kinda heated." His smirk was broken by the snow ball that impacted on his head.

"JADE!" Tori screeched. "Please, no snow in my room. I'll have to pay for that..."

"Really?" Robbie asked as he brushed the crushed snow off his face. "You're afraid of a little water in the room? I just got pelted by a snowball, and your worried about the snow in the room."

"Thought you said we were fine in the snow, cause, heated." Jade teased. "What about the impact, not that snow balls hit that hard." Her eyes scanned around for something. "Maybe some ice? Vega, got a glass of water? If I pour it over a snowball, it should harden..."

"NO!" Robbie called out. "No, we, er, we have to move on. Sides, there has been enough guide abuse as is."

"How bad was it?" Tori inquired.

"I got a wedgie." The boy said. "So, lets just call up the app, aaaand she has my phone again." He glared at the mischievous goth.

"What?" Jade asked. "This is fun. I haven't had that much fun in a while, so..."

"At least your not picking on me." Tori said, only to feel the cold rebuke of a snowball that Jade had somehow snuck in. "Lets just go.' She huffed.

"Wonder how it is you don't have any friends." Rob told the blue eyed girl. His sarcasm threatened a reaction from the violent girl.

"I'm just having fun." Jade defended herself.

"Yea, but given that we're supposed to be your friends, maybe you should treat us better?" He tried.

"Don't expect it." Tori said. "Trina theorizes she does that chiz to avoid getting hurt. You know, hurt them first, keep everyone at a distance. Problem is, it makes it hard to see what a good friend she can be."

Jade was stunned, looking at the Latina, so lost she didn't notice Robbie grabbing his phone. But the nerdy boys victory was short lived, as Tori pulled it to her, wanting to know what was so important about the device.

"So, how's this work?" Tori wondered, even as she shook the phone, taunting Jade.

"Try reading it." Jade sneered. "He has the most amazing app."

"All it says is 'Please return the phone to Robbie.'" Tori read. "Not the most original screen saver… Wait, now it's saying 'Yes, this is just a screen saver. Please ignore the goths comments, and focus on the lesson.' But..." Her brown eyes flashed up to meet Robbie's, and she dropped the phone.

Rob found his phone once more in his hands, and quickly tapped the app, causing another hole to rip in time and space. "Everyone through, we're already behind schedule."

"Bull." Jade challenged. "So, we getting Dre next? Or is this all an excuse to make Beck choose. News flash, Rob, he's not gonna choose you."

"No, we're heading to the future, or at least a possible one." The guide said. "Um, Tori, you probably won't consciously remember what you're about to see, but my app claims that this will help you make a choice that'll help everyone else."

"And once again, I'm just along for the ride." Jade growled.

"No, there's something for you to see too." He tried.

"Lets just hope I don't have to watch Vega here dating another loser." Jade sniped, smirking at the hurt that momentarily flashed in the other girls eyes. "Seriously, Vega, if you're into a guy, then call me, and let me tell you what to look out for."

"Like you're an expert in dating." Tori taunted, but inwardly, she knew it was weak.

"I know losers." Jade said, even as Tori lept through the hole, seeking some escape from this dark side of her pale friend. "Seriously, Vega, if you're dating someone, odds are their a loser." Mentally adding 'Or Beck. No idea why, but he wants you.'

They appeared outside this beautiful mansion that Jade suspected was in the Hollywood Hills, but it could just as easily be hidden in Beverly hills. "Okay folks, lets go inside before the security teams find us. I mean, sure, we're not really here, but sometimes, chiz happens, and I don't need you guys getting to distracted by the happenings."

"Can you maybe use the word 'happen' more?" Jade asked, showing her sardonic humor hadn't left.

"My god, this is just the kind of home I always wanted." Tori gushed as they made their way to the front door.

"Um, Jade..." Rob pointed at the front door.

"Ghaaa." Jade said as she picked the lock, careful to avoid tripping the alarm. She didn't need to worry. It was a beautiful southern California morning, and the inhabitants had disarmed the alarm for the day.

Inside, they found the living room decked out for Christmas, with stockings and decorations, reminding Tori of the kind of holiday Trina loved to put on. "It's beautiful."

"Peach?" Jade asked, pointing at the walls. "Who does peach walls?"

"I like the peach walls." Tori told her. "Muted, but very pretty. And look, there are two children here." She pointed at the stockings.

'Four stockings, two huge, and two smaller, like some parents grab for themselves, cause why sugar yourself up. Let the kids have the big stocking with the many cheap toys, keep the smaller one for yourself.' Jade reasoned. "Okay, this is Vega's future. Let me guess, we'll find my ashes in the closet, right?"

"Look who's miss grumpy pants." Tori taunted. Only, it was Tori, and she quickly tried to cheer the darker girl up. "Look, Jade, this is probably a happy future for both of us, so you're probably on your way here, right now, to spend the holiday with your good friends." Then turning to Robbie, "So, who did I marry?"

"Was it Beck, or another total loser who wanted her for her success." Jade added.

"Neither." Robbie said, but then he froze, hearing the sounds of four small feet rushing down the stairs. "Quick, hide." He started in one direction, only for a beeping of his phone to send him rushing in another.

"I thought..." Tori started.

"Better just go." Jade said as she dragged the confused Latina through the door Robbie had rushed through. Jade hesitated near the door, glancing out in case those were her children, and somehow this way to cheery home was her best future, and not the singers. 'Am I really that desperate to have this?' She asked herself. It was a new form of shame, admitting she wanted THIS dream, the home, the family, love. The pale girl felt weak for wanting it, and ashamed for feeling that way.

The three of them rushed into the room, quietly closing the door behind them, while leaving a crack they could look through. Robbie and Jade found themselves watching the hall, through a crack in the door, anxious to see just who was coming. Two children, girls, maybe five and seven, rushed into the living room, squealing with joy as they discovered the treats that Santa had brought them. Stockings overturned, dumping gifts and inexpensive treasures on the table, as each girl started deciding where to start.

"They'll start with the treats." Jade observed, drawn into the spectical, unable to resist the way it reminded her of her own childhood. 'Dad wasn't that good to us, too particle, never spoiling us with random gifts, but mom still somehow managed to find a few trinkets to bring us joy. That was, before she stopped caring...'

"Um… Guys…?" Tori murmured.

"Their kids, of course they'll hit the goodies." Robbie agreed. He glanced over to the look on his friends face, seeing the hurt etched in her features. "Look..."

"You'll have some beautiful kids, Vega." Jade said, not bothering to look at her frenimy. Even the envy had died in favor of the hurt she now felt.

"Guys!" Tori whisper yelled, trying to draw attention to herself.

"Um, Jade, this isn't..." He tried, but realized they needed to do something else. "Um, maybe we should see..."

"GUYS!" Tori screeched, drawing even the children's attention, though the tykes managed to go back to their stockings a moment later, confirming Jade's suspicion that this was Tori's future.

'Yea, they know their mothers voice….' Jade though as she turned to face the other girl, and froze.

They were in some kind of study, or maybe an office, but the whole decor was different, dark browns and whites. Jade's eyes traveled along the walls, with awards and certificates displayed, to the twine display cases showing off such things as skulls, and oddities, and more then one collectors pair of scissors. Dead butterfly's hung on the wall beyond, and Jade knew, KNEW this was her space. "Guys…?" She asked.

"Yea, this gets complicated." Robbie said as he moved to take control again. "Jade, yes, this IS Tori's home, with the perfect lover making her life even better. Not sure which version, because in nearly all of them, the one's where she chooses you, you guys get this home, the kids, everything."

"And me?" Jade asked.

"I marry HER?" Tori asked, pointing. Blue eyed glaring a moment later convinced her to amend her statement. "Not that I never though of us that way, cause I'll admit, every bi curious though I had in high school, you were the star. Just, you hate me."

"You were trying to take BECK!" Jade screeched back.

"Um, maybe you should..." Rob tried.

"I never wanted Beck." Tori proclaimed.

"I saw you." Jade countered. "I saw you kiss him, and then, then, when you rejected him, you wanted him. Anyone could see how much you wanted him…."

"I wanted YOU!" Tori shouted the last part, casing both of them to go silent.

"Um, yea, this was supposed to help you both see that part." Robbie said. "Jade, you could be very happy with Tori here, and the rest of us, we get a better future, cause while we tend to do okay, it's easier with Tori here reaching back to help us out."

"And I don't?" Jade growled.

"You do." Another voice said, casing everyone to turn and look. Jade, and older, early thirties Jade, walked in to the study. She flashed the group a steady smile on her way to her desk. "Rob, Tori, Me." She greeted each one.

"I think they could hear us." Tori whisper yelled.

"Oh, I could hear you, all right, but they can't." The older Jade said, chuckling. "Well, almost. They do kinda feel the yelling, but hay, their our kids, so their kinda in tune with us, even the us who hadn't yet realized we were gonna be such a great couple." She searched through the desk, smiling as she found what she was looking for. "Um, Tori, please look at Robbie, cause no spoilers."

"Sorry, what?" The Latina asked.

"I hid one of my gifts for you in here, and no, I don't need you seeing it, cause while you may not have this future, this is definitely my Tori's past." The older Jade explained. "So, turn."

"You sure she's not gonna stab me in the back?" Tori asked, even as she turned.

"Now, Rob there is freaking, cause he believed we wouldn't remember too much of this experience." The older girl said. "Just like the highlights, like how Tori and I make a great couple. Problem, you know how Jade there is. Of course I get flashes, and when I felt this disturbance, I know who and what this was. Now, I do have a last piece of advice for each of you, then I need to show my wife this." She hefted a small gift bag."

"It's already wrapped." The younger Jade noted, even as the older version moved to face each visitor, in turn.

"Okay, spill." Robbie said, too lost to do anything else. "Tell us something that'll make my job here easier."

"Robbie, you need to admit, you grew from this so called community service, felt better about yourself. I mean, that's why you volunteered to help Jade, even after you were told you were done." The older woman started. "You're gonna do great things, like romancing Trina, and finding the better part of her. That reminds me," She shifted to address the younger Jade, "Me, get used to Trina. She's gonna be one of those people you'll want around you in the future. Not gonna explain more, cause spoilers, but it's one of the reasons you push her to dating nerd boy here. That, and their son is adorkable."

"Tori, you need to understand, it's important to split duties, like who the man is." The older Jade shifted to the singer. "Jade will be a very giving, understanding lover, and for the most part, the man, but you need to go for what you want in this, or things may get a bit, er, lets just say Disney movies have more sex."

"So, yea, what now?" Tori tried to parse what she'd heard.

"If you wanna nail that fine ass, let her know." Robbie clarified. At the group glares, he held up his phone. "The App said to say it."

"Jade, all you need to know is, success has no one definition." The older Jade turned to her younger self. "You may never achieve that much, but by being there for Tori, your friends, you can have a tremendous influence on the world around you. Plus, you don't have to make money to make art." She smiled. "Now, I need to give this to Tori, cause I know, once the Shapiro's get here, I'm getting felt, er. Thanked." She headed to the door, pausing only long enough to give the younger her one more look. "Merry Christmas everyone." She said, and the older Jade was out.

"Okay, time to go." Robbie said, fiddling with his phone.

"So that's it, huh?" Jade asked. "I'm Vega support?"

"Not necessarily." Tori said, pointing to the case full of awards. "Lots of these have your name on 'em. From the look of it, it looks like you do make movies, and many of those films are good enough to earn awards."

Jade practically pushed the other girl out of the way, trying to see the awards in her display case. And they were hers. Other then a couple of awards for Tori, mostly copies for display, everything was a tribute to Jade's creativity. Writing, film making, everything she wanted to try, she seemed to win awards for. "Wow..." The pale girl managed to say.

"Look, this is one possible future…." Robbie tried.

"Hay, why didn't I win that many awards?" Tori asked.

"Cause you're mostly a singer." Jade explained. "Looks like you do some acting, but most of the money you make is for your music, so… Not that many awards available for you. But look, you do win some."

"Those are copies." Tori observed. "Where are the originals?"

"You probably have your own space." Jade suggested.

"Um, guys…?" Robbie tried to gain their attention. "Guys, we're done here. I've shown you your future, and shown you that this is worth a try. While you won't necessarily remember, except Jade there might, cause that's what the older jade did, you now know this," He gestured around himself, "is a possibility. You two can be a couple. So… Why don't we head back, put you both back where you belong?"

"Cause maybe we like it here?" Jade asked.

"Wait until you have to deal with the kids." Tori teased. "Hay, kids can be a challenge. You have no idea..." she had no idea who she was defending herself from.

"You're kidding, right?" Jade asked. "After interviews with tots, I worked on dealing with munchkins. I got good at dealing with kids. So yea, I'm good with the younglings. Not Cat good, but I'm better then I used to be..."

"And you'll get the chance to prove it." Rob jumped in. "So, yea, lets go..." He pushed the screen on his phone, activating his App, and thus causing a rip to open in time and space. "Um, I'm dropping Jade off first."

"Okay, why?" Jade asked.

"Cause I'm thinking we need it this way." Robbie said. "And my App just opened to your place."

"Yea, sounds like it's in charge." Tori observed.

"Yep." Jade said. "But look, I'm thinking Rob there loves it." She stopped in front of the nerdy boy. "Think about this, how good it feels to help people. This is why you want to continue..."

"And who are you?" Tori asked.

"I like to help people." Jade explained, even as she stepped through the portal. "I just like doing it my way."

"Ways that hurt?" Tori asked, now standing next to Jade's bed.

"Um, I thought you had to pop in outside?" The blue eyed girl asked.

"I was already inside, and I assume, had your permission, so..." He gestured at the barely open window. "Oh, Tori, welcome to Stanford, California."

"Next to Palo Alto." Jade clarified. "Pear computers is headquartered just a few miles away, in Cupertino." she smiled. "You know, the saucer?"

"Riiight." Tori nodded. "No idea."

"A mile circumference building, absolutely huge, four stories tall, with three more under ground, and in the large open space in the middle they have this huge park for the employees." Rob noted. "It's a major construction, housing over twelve thousand employees. Thing is huge."

"Okay, good to know." Tori said, turning her attention back to Jade. "Working on something?"

"Student film." Jade said. "Still an undergrad, but I'm already working on making a film. This school, in the masters program, you make a documentary, and the people win awards. But as an undergrad, I can make me a few fiction films, and so, I was just working on my latest."

"You're editing?" Tori asked. "I mean, I know you can do it, but don't you usually have someone else do that? Or at least work with you, give a second perspective maybe?"

"I don't mind the editing, it's the fact that I have no one helping me, not even in the filming, that's a real pain." Jade told her. "Limits my ability to tell stories."

"Okay." Tori said. "Why?'

"Cause the other students feel threatened by my talent." Jade said.

"She's a gank." Robbie clarified.

"Rob..." Pale flesh tightened, threatening to lash out, strike.

"Oh, look at the time." Robbie said as he grabbed Tori's hand and headed towards the door. "We really need to get going, cause morning comes that much sooner in Ohio..."

"I'm in Wisconsin." Tori corrected.

"..So we really have to go now." The boy finished. "So, Jade, assuming you remember, call me, so I can act all groggy, cause I often don't remember much of what I see when I'm doing this."

"No you don't." Jade snapped, but they were already out the door, heading towards the stairs. Jade wanted to follow, to clarify. "You don't leave yet, and you do remember so much of what you see. You just want us to feel less violate for you seeing us in our pajamas…." She huffed, feeling herself being pulled back towards her bed. 'Damn it's too strong. I'm not the one who pulled me out, so I don't have that much control.' she smirked. "Glad I was wearing this chiz, cause the last thing I need is Rob perving out on my bod.' She felt herself falling back into her body. 'Or Tori's...'

Jade woke up, feeling a touch angry, amused, and confused, as her dream started fading, like all dreams can. Jade took a moment to lock a bit of that experience in her memory, then went back to bed, properly preparing first. She knew her nocturnal adventures were over, but had no idea what else she might need to do. Besides, remembering her dreams would help with her creativity.. 'Gonna be tired in the morning.' She thought.

Over the next few days, Jade was able to work on her project, and her day job, while the school was closed for the holiday break. Jade hated that she had so much time off, but accepted that was part of the collage experience. Still, she was able to work on her movie over the next few days, filming the sun on Christmases day. Then, after she'd finished the shooting, she'd think about her dream as she worked. Thoughts filled her about Tori, who now filled a lot more of her time then it used to. Several times, the pale girl wanted to reach out, call the Latina, only to find one reason or another not too. The winning one, she didn't have Tori's current number, and would have to reach out to Beck to get it.

It was later, almost the end of the year, when the issue settled itself. Jade was coming home from helping someone on their project, her goal to show a less selfish side of herself. Feeling oddly satisfied by her actions, the pale girl was surprised to find someone sitting in her tiny apartment.

"Vega?" Jade said, trying to sound as neutral as possible. But she was amazed the girl she'd been thinking about had just shown up, out of nowhere, and was somehow in her apartment.

"Jade." The singer replied.

"Um, not that I'm particularly interested, but what're you doing here?" Jade asked.

"Funny thing, it seems that, when you're famous, or semi-famous, people are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt." Tori shrugged. "You're building manager was more then willing to let me in, and all it cost was one autograph." She smiled. "An autographed picture, as well as a selfie of us together. He kinda wanted a lot, really, but more then worth it to wait in here, instead of out there." her hand pointed out the door.

"I meant, what are you doing here, in Palo Alto?" Jade clarified. "But good to know about the property manager. Gotta move out once I start to make it, cause who knows what kind of perves I'll find sitting here one day, in my room, waiting in their underwear."

"Okaaay…." Tori said. "But, I'm here cause recently, I just couldn't get you out of my mind, so I felt, as soon as I had the time, I had to look you up." There was a moment of that famous smile before adding "Stanford, nice."

"It's a good school, and once in, there's money available, though grants, loans, and scholarships." Jade said with a shrug. "So yea, going here, cause it's a good school, I can pay for it, and it got me away from a past I needed some separation from." She glanced at the other girl. "Long story."

"I get that." Tori said. "So, here we are."

"Yep, here we are." Jade agreed. "So, um…"

"Wanna maybe go get a bite to eat?" Tori asked, suddenly breaking the tension.

"Sure." Jade agreed. "Where we going?"

"Don't much care." The singer said.

"Good, cause theirs this great Italian restaurant not too far from here." Jade told her. "They don't take much in the way of reservations, so if you don't mind family style seating…."

"I'm a celebrity." Tori cut her off. "Lets go someplace where I won't be tagged in a million on line photos."

"But it's a great place." Jade argued as the two set off for their first real date. It wouldn't be their last.

:}

Hope you liked this, and it didn't have too many mistakes.

Yep, a Christmas story, and before Christmas.


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